Brothers
by PadfootMoonyProngsWormtail
Summary: Regulus Black accidentally finds out the Dark Lord's most darkest secret: his Horcruxes. Hating the Dark Lord even more with each passing second, Regulus is confused about what to do. He knows that he has to act fast to make Voldemort mortal again, but will his brother help him? Very AU!
1. The Cave

**Author's Note: This is my first Harry Potter fan fiction so I hope you all enjoy it! I'll try my hardest to post a new chapter every week, either on Thursdays or Fridays. Thanks for everyone who checks out this story and all reviews are appreciated. :)**

**Disclaimer: All characters, locations, objects, belong to the brilliant J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 1: The Discovery

Summer, 1979

Death Eaters: The cruelest individuals, who pose all the qualities of Salazar Slytherin, would be the ones to carry out the bidding of the Dark Lord. They have to be cunning, resourceful, ambitious, and powerful; otherwise, they wouldn't make it into Lord Voldemort's ranks. And if anyone questions the Dark Lord's actions or beliefs would find themselves dead. No one defected without being killed.

During the very start of Lord Voldemort's rise, sixth and seventh years students in Slytherin at Hogwarts were willing to join Voldemort. Since most Slytherin came from pure-blood families, they saw what the Muggles and Muggle- borns were-scum. One of the most famous families was the Black family. They believed in Lord Voldemort's ideas, to cleanse the world of Muggle-borns and pure-bloods were the ones who should hold the power. The youngest son of Walburga and Orion Black, Regulus, joined the Death Eaters since his family supported Voldemort-with the exception of Sirius, Regulus's older brother. Regulus had been a fan of Voldemort since his youth because his mother and father both were. He had newspaper clippings and pictures of Voldemort hung in his room. Regulus wanted to please his parents by being at the Dark Lord's side.

Once Regulus turned sixteen, he received the Dark Mark on his left forearm. Walburga and Orion were proud to see their favorite son become a Death Eater, helping cleanse the world of Muggle-borns. However, after two years of service to the Dark Lord, Regulus came to realize Voldemort wasn't anything what he expected. He was cruel, he never seen anyone more cruel than him. He could barely go the day without killing someone, even if it were a fellow Death Eater, or a couple of hours of not hearing the screams of someone being tortured.

Regulus knew he was in too deep just to back out. The Dark Lord trusted him completely. He wasn't sure if Voldemort knew that Regulus was planning to quit his ranks- after all, he is very skilled at Occulmancy- or if Regulus was a very good actor. After each day of service, he began to realize how wrong he was about everything. He wished he followed his older brother's example and stood up for his beliefs. Regulus missed Sirius every day since he left their home. They were best friends, even if they kept it secret at Hogwarts-Sirius didn't want to ruin his reputation by hanging out with a Slytherin, even if it was his own brother- Regulus didn't mind though.

Now since Regulus was a Death Eater and Sirius was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, they haven't seen each other in over two years. Sirius only wrote on Christmas, and Regulus did the same. He didn't think Sirius hated him, Regulus sure didn't hate him, but they couldn't be caught in contact, otherwise they could be made out as traitors. Regulus really wanted to write to Sirius, asking for advice but wasn't sure how his brother would respond. He wasn't sure if his brother would be happy about him seeing the wrongness of Voldemort, or if he would think he was just wanting into the Order to be Voldemort's spy.

Regulus thought he would take his chances and write to his brother anyway. He took out some parchment and a quill and began to write:

_ Dear Sirius,_

_I know I only write during Christmas, and I'm sorry about that, but this is urgent. I'm beginning to rethink my decision of joining the Dark Lord. I always admired his ideas, but had no idea of how he was going to achieve them. I need your help. You've always been there for me, and I hope you are willing to forgive me for my decisions. I want to defect; I don't want this life any more. What should I do?_

_ Your brother,_

_ Regulus_

Before he was able to call Aquila, the family owl, he was interrupted by a loud bang from behind him. Regulus turned around to see the house-elf, Kretcher, standing behind him. The elf looked shaken. He was nervously shaking and looked like he would nearly fall over. Luckily, Regulus jumped from his chair to catch the elf before he smacked the ground.

"Kretcher, what happened to you?" Regulus crouched down and held the elf in his arms. He knew that Kretcher was being borrowed by the Dark Lord for a task, he wasn't sure what it was, but by the state of Kretcher he knew it wasn't good.

Kretcher just shook his head, still shaking and beginning to cry. Regulus tried to calm him, but it wasn't working. He stood him up on his feet and gripped him by the shoulders and shook him shouting, "Kretcher! Tell me what happened!" Regulus wanted to help the elf; he always liked Kretcher, especially as a child. Kretcher would be there for Regulus, especially when Sirius wasn't- either shut up in his room by mum or at Hogwarts. The elf wasn't necessary fun to play with but, he was someone to talk to.

"I-I d-didn't k-know w-w-hat he did t-t-o m-me," Kretcher cried, "He-he made K-Kretcher d-drink a-a terrible p-p-potion."

"Why?" Regulus was still griping the elf's shoulders, wanting to know more.

"To-to t-t-test h-his defenses g-guarding a-a l-locket."

Regulus stood up with a shocked look that turned into a worry expression. Once he stood up, he fell back into the kitchen chair and buried his face into his hands. He knew what Kretcher meant. He knew what locket he was talking about. A week ago, he overheard the Dark Lord talking to his most trusted Death Eaters- and some of the first- Nott, Lestrange, and Mulciber, about a weird kind of magic called Horcruxes and showed them a green and silver locket with an 's' on the top.

At the time, Regulus didn't know what a Horcrux was. Once he returned home to his parent's house, he looked in their library looking for some reference of a Horcrux. It was hard, but finally found an article about Horcruxes in a very tarnished looking book called _The Path to Immortality. _ Regulus learned that the Dark Lord was able to hide a part of his soul into an object, so if his body was destroyed he could live on. That freaked Regulus out and it made him hate the Dark Lord even more. By the sound of the conversation he heard, he had five so far, but was planning to make more.

Regulus looked up and saw Kretcher still standing, staring up at his master. "What was the potion you drank?" 

Calming down slightly, Kretcher responded nervously, "Kretcher, d-doesn't know. It made Kretcher feel awful and terribly t-thirsty. W-when it was g-gone; the Dark L-lord left K-Kretcher to die. The Inferi al-almost g-got Kretcher, b-but Kretcher was able t-to use his e-elf mag-magic to escape."

That was when Regulus Black made the best decision on his life. He was going to put a stop to this. Putting Kretcher through something like that, and leaving him to die, was enough to make him quit. "Kretcher, get some rest," Regulus told the elf sympathetically. The house-elf did what he was told and walked away to his cupboard.

Regulus immediately went back to the library and pulled _The_ _Path to Immortality _off the shelf and flipped open the page to Horcruxes and looked for how to destroy them. He read that for in order for a Horcrux to be destroyed, it would have to be beyond magical repair and there were only two known ways- basilisk venom or Fiendfyre. Basilisk venom is extremely_, extremely_ rare- basilisks haven't been seen for centuries- and Fiendfyre was a dangerous and difficult spell to control- not even the best duelists could.

Regulus knew what he had to do. He had to grab the Horcrux and destroy it, making the Dark Lord one less step to becoming immortal. Luckily, Regulus knew a very complex spell that could duplicate any object. The spell could make a copy of the locket, so the Dark Lord would never know. The copy wouldn't look very close to the original close up, but he didn't think the Dark Lord would be trying to retrieve his Horcrux anytime soon.

Afterwards, Regulus returned to the kitchen and sat back down to write a letter to the Dark Lord, telling him that he knew of his secret and wished he would be mortal once he met his match then signed the letter 'R.A.B', his initials. He folded up the piece of parchment so it would be tiny enough to fit inside the locket and placed it in his pocket for now. Shortly after, Regulus's parents came home, and Regulus quickly took the other letter addressed to Sirius from the table, if his mother saw it, she would've thrown a fit.

Regulus never told his parents about what happened to Kretcher. He never told them that he volunteered him for the Dark Lord. His mother was suspicious though, she was wondering why the elf hadn't started dinner yet and why he was acting mad. She didn't ask any difficult questions though, which relieved Regulus.

After dinner, Regulus went to his room for the night and took _The Path to Immortality_ with him. The book didn't go into much more detail about Horcruxes. After the section about Horcruxes, it went on to the Philosopher's Stones, Unicorn blood, and different kinds of potions that made the drinker younger. He gave up and threw the book on the floor. Nearly forgetting, Regulus found the letter he wrote to Sirius in his pocket. Regulus reread it again and debated whether to send it still or not. Not sure what to do anymore, he placed it on his night stand and went fell asleep.

Regulus woke up very early the next morning. Neither of his parents were up yet, so it gave him the perfect opportunity to leave without questions being asked by his mother. His mother always worried about him, which he didn't blame her. Regulus called Kretcher, and the elf immediately came to his side. "You're going to take me where the Dark Lord took you."

The elf opened his mouth to protest but Regulus put his hand up to stop him, and he quickly shut his mouth. Before they apparated out, Regulus quickly scribbled down a note to his mum, saying that the Dark Lord had called him and he had told Kretcher to run an errand for him. He then put the note on the kitchen table and grabbed Kretcher's arm. Then with a crack, they left their home and ended up on a giant rock in the middle of a sea.

Sea water splashed against the rock, and mist filled the air, making their skin wet. The smell of the sea was refreshing after being stuck inside all week. Regulus and Kretcher walked into the dark cave on the side of the cliff. Inside the cave, there was a strange green glow and water dripped down the rocky walls. Regulus took out his wand and lighted the tip of it, "_Lumos_."

Regulus and Kretcher continued to walking through the cave until they reached a dead end, completely sealed off by rock. "One must make a payment," said Kretcher, holding out his arm. Regulus knew what he meant by 'payment.' The payment was blood. There was a big, long scar up Kretcher's bony arm.

"No, Kretcher, I'll do it. You had to do it the first time." Kretcher looked worried; he didn't want to see his master cut himself. Regulus waved his wand over his right arm, opening his skin. He jumped a little from the pain, but then ignored it. Regulus shook his right arm over the rock, allowing some drops of blood fall on to the rock. The rock wall opened like a door, allowing them to pass on to the next room. The next chamber opened up into a lake, with an island in the middle. "It's there," Kretcher pointed at the island.

Regulus nodded at him and walked up to the edge of the water. It was hard to see, so he flicked his wand that was still ignited, and a ball of light flew up to the top of the cave, lighting up the entire cave. "How do we get over to the island?"

"Boat," Kretcher pointed, but nothing was there. "The chain is invisible," he added. Regulus reached into the air and grabbed onto what felt like a chain. He pulled the boat in, until it reached to the edge where he and Kretcher were standing. Both of the climbed into the boat, and it carried them to the island.

The island was tiny, with crystal white rocks. In the middle, there was a basin filled with a light purple looking potion, it must've been the one Kretcher was talking about. They got off the boat and Regulus had a look at the potion. "I'm ready to drink it again, master," Kretcher said, looking terrified and shaking madly.

"No, Kretcher. I won't let you drink that stuff again." Kretcher looked up at Regulus thankfully, but guilty because he knew what that potion was going to put his master through.

"B-but Master Regulus-,"

Kretcher started but stopped when Regulus quickly turned around and gave the elf a stern look. "I won't hear anymore. Kretcher, if something happens to me, you need to take the locket back home and destroy it. You won't let anyone know of it, okay?" Kretcher nodded slowly.

"C-can't we use side-by-side apparition? Using my magic?" Kretcher asked hopefully, he didn't want to leave Master Regulus to die, he would never admit it out loud, but Regulus was his favorite. He always treated him the kindly.

"I highly doubt that would work with me apparating at your side, but you can get out and save yourself." Regulus turned back to the potion and stared into it, hoping it would disappear if he just stared at it- but it didn't. He used a seashell to scoop some of the potion and brought it close to his mouth. "Kretcher, make sure I drink all of it, even if you have to force it down my throat." Before Kretcher could respond, Regulus already took the first drink.

Regulus felt terrible and screamed with pain, it felt like he was being attacked with the Cruciatus Curse. He collapsed to the ground, dropping the shell. Regulus quickly got up again, grabbing the shell and getting more of the potion. He poured it down his throat once again and shouted at it to stop. This time he was reluctant to get more.

Kretcher picked up the shell and forced it into Regulus's hands, but Regulus wouldn't take it, "Don't make me drink it!"

"I'm sorry, Master, but you told Kretcher you had to drink it," Kretcher cried, he didn't want to force pain onto his master, but he couldn't ignore his order. The elf went over to the basin and filled it with more of the potion and walked over to his master. Regulus reluctantly opened his mouth to allow Kretcher to pour the potion down his throat.

Bad images appeared into Regulus's head, making him mad. He saw his parents lying dead on the floor, he saw Sirius hexing him and shouting that he was a traitor and didn't want him as a brother, he saw his two cousins torturing him, the images scarred him, and they wouldn't leave his head.

Kretcher feed Regulus another shell-full, and another, and another. It felt as the pain would never stop. Regulus kept throwing fits of anger because of the pain. "MAKE IT STOP!" Regulus bellowed and his words echoed in the cave.

"One more, master." Kretcher was still crying but trying to reassure his master that it would be over soon. Kretcher showed Regulus that this was the last one, but Regulus kept his mouth closed, shaking his head. "One more master," he repeated, "please, master." Regulus cracked his mouth open and the elf poured it into his mouth.

All of a sudden, the pain was gone. Regulus smacked his lips, his mouth was dry, and he needed water. He struggled to get up, once he did, he limped over to the basin. There was the locket. The green and silver jewels glimmered from the dim lights. Before, Regulus picked took it; he waved his wand over the locket. Out of thin air, an identical locket appeared. It didn't look as brilliant as the real one, but was a convincing copy. Regulus took his note and placed it into the fake.

Regulus took the real Horcrux, and as soon as he touched it, he jumped. The Horcrux was strange; it felt alive, like it had its own heartbeat. He didn't bother to look at it further right now, he pocket and placed the fake inside the basin. The basin automatically refilled itself as the object was placed inside.

"Water," Regulus mumbled quietly. He cupped one of his hands and held his wand in the other. "_Aguamenti_." Water spilled from his wand and into his hand. Once the water hit his skin, the water evaporated. Regulus looked surprised when this happened. He tried again, "_Aguamenti._" The same thing happened again. Regulus gave up and walked to the edge of the water. He dipped his hands into the water to pool some of it into his cupped hands.

"Master! No! Don't touch the water!" Kretcher shouted. However, it was too late. A hand popped from the water and grabbed onto Regulus's arm. He jumped up and clutched his wand. Dead bodies walked surfaced from the water, crawling towards him and Kretcher. The dead bodies were Inferi. They were coming from all around the island. There was no escape. Forgetting about his thirst, Regulus jumped up with his wand held out. He shouted different spells at the Inferi, pushing them back and making them fall back into the water.

Regulus and Kretcher were pushed back to the middle of the island as hundreds of bodies came limping towards them. One of them grabbed a hold of Kretcher and started dragging him back into the water. Regulus saw and realized there was no hope to stop all the Inferi. "_Stupefy_!" Regulus hit the Inferi trying to drag Kretcher into the water. It fell back in the lake and Kretcher scrambled to his feet. Regulus continued to curse the bodies, "Kretcher! Take the locket!" Regulus took the locket from his pocket and threw it to Kretcher. The elf jumped and caught it securely in his hands. "Get out of here Kretcher!" Regulus was getting tired; he couldn't keep up much longer. "Don't tell anyone anything! Let them believe the Dark Lord killed me."

"B-but-," Kretcher croaked, still scared.

"GO! NOW!" Regulus shouted at Kretcher. Kretcher took one last long look at his favorite master and disapparated from the cave.

Regulus blasted a few more Inferi until one jumped on his back and wrapped his hands around his neck. He started to choke out stunning charms, but nothing came out of his mouth. The Inferi who had him, dragged him back into the water. Both he and the dead body fell in with a splash. A couple more Inferi dragged him deeper and deeper. Regulus was out of air; his world was closing around him. But then he thought of Voldemort, and his hatred for him. He thought of the Prophecy and the Chosen One. He thought of his mother and father. He thought of Kretcher. He thought of Sirius. _No_, he told himself, _no, I'm not going to die like this. _

Inferi were still stuck to him, but Regulus was able to kick them off. With his wand still tightly held in his hand, he shouted, "_Ascendio!" _Only bubbles came from his mouth, but the spell still worked. He shot threw the water and landed back on the island.

Breathing heavily, he stood up clutching his side, looking around. All the Inferi were gone, he was alive. Regulus limped back to the boat, rubbing his neck were the Inferius was holding on to him. He walked back through the first chamber of the cave, using the rocks to support his wobbling legs. His head pounded and his chest ached, he felt terrible. Once he finally made it outside of the cave, he had nowhere to go. He was able to apparate now, by was too weak. Instead, he passed out right before the entrance of the cave. Regulus Black was exhausted both physically and mentally.

Sirius Black slept in late Sunday morning; he was awakened by his best friend, James Potter who was shouting for him downstairs, "Oi! Padfoot, get down here before Lily has a fit!" Sirius moaned as he rolled out of bed. He pulled on a T-shirt and ruffled his already messy black hair. Sirius was staying with James and Lily for the weekend since they were on relieve from Order business, which was nice.

Sirius walked out of the guest bedroom and down the stairs and into the kitchen to find James drinking his tea at the table and Lily cooking breakfast. "Morning, all!" Sirius said, in a somewhat surprisingly good mood. "Ah, the food smells great, Lils."

Lily chuckled, "Thought you'd never get out of bed," she handed him a plate with eggs and bacon on it. "It's your own fault if it's cold." Sirius thanked her and joined James at the table.

"I'm surprised to see you all cheery this early in the morning," James smirked at Sirius, stuffing his face with eggs.

Sirius just shrugged, "I suppose I just got my mind off things this weekend, Prongs." Sirius had been pretty sour lately, especially in the morning. The war was taking a toll on him, the thing he hated most was seeing his friends and family-not his family, he didn't care so much about them, but his friend's family- die. Sirius never took death well. He would normally shut himself up for a day or two- or more if it was someone close- and mope around the house, feeling guilty as though he'd killed them. He'd supposed he felt better today since things were going very smoothly with the Order; they've been winning more and more battles against the Death Eaters.

An owl tapped on the kitchen window with the Daily Prophet in its beak. "James, can you pay the owl, please?" Lily asked her husband as she was flipping more bacon on the stove. James told her he would and got up and took the newspaper from the owl and put five bronze Knuts in the owl's brown pouch.

"Anything interesting today?" asked Sirius with his mouth full and trying to peak his head over James's shoulder as he looked over the Prophet.

James shook his head. "Just some bloke at the ministry trying to pass a law about restricting werewolf rights," James gritted through his teeth.

Sirius gave a nasty look, "Those people disgust me," he bitterly said. "I bet it won't pass. They always want to pass another stupid law about werewolves, but they never go through," he paused for a moment, "Is Moony and Wormtail coming over today?"

"When will you guys ever stop calling each other those names?" Lily piped in, half laughing.

"Lils, that's like asking us to stop being us; stripping our personality away," Sirius retorted at her. Lily just shook her head and grabbed her tea to sit down next to her husband.

James smiled at his best friend and then to his wife. "Moony is coming over for lunch and Wormtail can't, his mum is sick or something." James put particular emphasize on their Marauder names and put the Daily Prophet on the table.

James and Lily got into a conversation about planning a trip to Diagon Alley to pick up some potion ingredients; Dumbledore apparently asked her to make some healing potions since she finished with top marks in her N.E.W.T. potion class. Sirius picked up the Daily Prophet and flipped through it. He flipped through to find the deaths section. It had three columns, 'Muggles', 'Witches/Wizards', and 'Death Eaters'.

Sirius scanned the Muggle section- of course he didn't know any Muggles, but wanted to make sure none of Lily's relatives were mentioned- no one. He let out a sigh of relief, then moved on the witches and wizards column. Only three names were listed, Garret Monte, William Schultz, and Brianna Walters, again, no one that he knew. Sirius gave a little smile, he felt bad for the three who died and their families, but was glad it wasn't Peter or Remus or Andromeda or anyone in the Order. Now his eyes glanced over to the 'Death Eater' column, now to his relief got to celebrate over who died. Sirius knew that sounded awful but it was true. Only one name was in that column and it was, 'Regulus Arcturus Black.'

Sirius's mouth hung opened and he froze, just staring at the name. His blood boiled, he felt angry enough to take down a dragon. The paper said that Voldemort had killed him. Sirius stared at his brother's name for another two minutes. He felt terrible. Regulus was too young to have died, he was only eighteen years old; he had just got out of Hogwarts. "Anyone we know?" James asked quietly, both him and Lily finally realized he wasn't listing to their conversation. Sirius didn't respond- he was too angry and sad to do so. James craned his neck around Sirius's chair to see the paper and Lily stood up and walked over to him to get a good look at it. Right away both Potters saw which name he was so shocked about. Lily gasped and put her hands to her mouth. "Pads," James said quietly and put his arm on Sirius's shoulder.

As much as Sirius loved the comfort of his two friends, he'd rather be alone right now. He stood up from his chair. "I think I'll go on a walk," he mumbled and walked out the front door. Lily and James exchanged worried looks, but didn't follow him.

Sirius didn't know exactly who he was angry at. Regulus for being stupid and getting himself killed, Voldemort for actually killing him, Bellatrix for not looking after him- then again, why would she? She was just as vile and cruel as Voldemort- or at himself. Maybe if Sirius tried to keep the friendship between him and his brother more lively, he may haven't joined the Death Eaters at all.

Continuing down James and Lily's street, Sirius saw all sorts of children playing with each other, siblings and friends. It reminded him all the stuff he and Regulus used to do. He remember that they'd play Quidditch with each other, even though Sirius was a terrible player, and they'd have pretend duels and play Gobstones or Exploding Snap. _It's entirely my fault_, Sirius kept reminding himself. _Maybe if I was kinder to him and didn't argue with mum so much; he'd be in Gryffindor too._ He should've talked to him more at Hogwarts or have written to him more often.

Sirius continued walking and kicked a stone as he walked. He wondered what Regulus could've possible done to get himself killed. Sirius could see Regulus getting into a stupid argument with Voldemort or perhaps it could've been Regulus stealing one of Voldemort's books about dark curses. Sirius didn't think Voldemort read much during his spare time, so he wouldn't know if a book was missing, so that might not be right. But maybe it was some dark secret weapon. Whatever it was, it was probably stupid and selfish, because that's how all Death Eaters are.


	2. An Old Friend

Chapter 2: An Old Friend

September 1, 1981

The past three years had been a blur to Regulus. His memory came and went; sometimes he didn't remember a week ago or an hour ago. Memories from the Cave would invade his mind and the pain would come back. He felt like he was going mad. Regulus hadn't been back home, or even London, since the Cave. The Death Eaters would surely be looking for him back in London or in high wizard populated areas and Voldemort himself will want to kill him. Plus, everyone he knew thought he was dead, how would he ever explain what happened to him. He surely didn't want to get telling everyone about Voldemort's Horcruxes.

In fact, Regulus hadn't been in contact with any wizards for the past few years. He spent his time traveling across England; traveling from town to town, disguising himself as a Muggle. Being exceptionally brilliant at charms, Regulus could charm his hair, eyes, nose, and any other facial feature to look different. No one would recognize him as a Death Eater.

During his travels, Regulus thought a lot about possible Horcruxes and hiding spots. He'd assumed that the Horcruxes would mean something to the Dark Lord and wouldn't be some random objects. However, he didn't know a lot about the Dark Lord besides his goals, cruelness, and his name was Tom Riddle before Voldemort. The locket must've had some meaning to be a Horcrux, perhaps it was a family heirloom. Regulus couldn't think of four -or possible more by now- objects that could have some meaning to the Dark Lord to be Horcruxes.

As the day went on, Regulus was beginning to notice strange things, not strange to him but strange to see in Muggle areas, and he noticed people pointing them out. Regulus was just a little out of a Muggle town when he noticed lots of owls flying in each direction. Muggles were all excitedly pointing them out thinking it was some sort of bird miracle. Regulus found some of their remarks highly amusing. He even noticed quite a few wizards and witches in the town. Regulus knew that they were magical because of their robes or they were wearing their Muggle clothing wrong. One man was wearing pajama pants and a women's blouse.

Regulus continued down main street looking for a place to get some food when he heard a group of witches and wizards mention 'the Potters', 'Voldemort', and some even said 'The Boy Who Lived'. _Potter?_ Regulus thought to himself, _they couldn't surely mean James Potter_. James Potter was Sirius's best friend and probably thought of him more as a brother than Regulus. He remembered them being inseparable at Hogwarts and how they'd always play pranks on Severus Snape and even their cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa. _Why were the Potters so important?_

"Even the Muggles should be celebrating," a young wizard shouted. Many of the Muggles gave him a weird look, but continued walking. Unable to control his curiosity, Regulus approached the man as he continued to shout excitedly with his friends.

Regulus cleared his throat, "Why should we be celebrating?"

"Because the most evil, dark wizard is gone!" he exclaimed, as it were a joke.

One of the girls in the group nudged him hard in the ribs, "Shush John, he's a Muggle!" she snapped at him quietly.

"So what? He should be celebrating!"

Regulus was quite impressed with himself that his disguising charms worked, they actually thought he was a Muggle and not a Death Eater. "I'm not a Muggle." Regulus pulled his wand out for a split second as proof and quickly slipped it back into his pocket.

"Oh!" The man named John was somewhat shocked. Regulus wasn't sure if it was because he had no idea what was going on or that he was actually a wizard. "Did you not see the Prophet this morning?" John lowered his voice significantly. Regulus shook his head. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named died last night!"

Regulus knew he couldn't have died, he had the Horcruxes. Unless Kretcher destroyed the locket and the rest of them he supposedly made, which he doubted. "Wow! That's great!" He tried to act excited, but he knew only his body was destroyed, he'd surely come back one day.

"I know!" John said once again in a loud voice. The other three he was with all agreed and nodded their heads.

"How though?" Regulus was intrigued how the Dark Lord had his body destroyed.

"No one knows. Apparently he went to Godric's Hallow to kill the Potters and he died when trying to kill their son- what was his name? Like Harold or something?" said the girl with the short brown hair, the same one who nudged John.

"It was Harry, Jess," the other girl answered, "Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived"

Regulus never knew that the Potters had a son, but then again, he couldn't remember what happened two days ago because of that bloody potion. "What of James and Lily?"

The four of them quietly looked at their shoes sadly, "they died," replied John in a hushed voice.

Regulus felt terrible. They were such good people and war heroes, and even had a new son. Regulus even felt bad for Sirius, he was probably crushed. Sirius never took death well; he could only imagine what he was going through when his 'favorite brother' died. Well, maybe he did take Regulus's 'death' okay since he was a Death Eater.

There was an awkward silence between the friends and Regulus. "Thanks, uh, I better go," said Regulus quickly and speed walked in the opposite direction. John and his friends continued on with their celebrating. Regulus hurried past the busy road and out of town. He desperately wanted more answers, but where would he go? Regulus wasn't sure if he wanted to see Sirius just yet and explain himself and his old Death Eater friends were out of question. They all probably hated Regulus or they were now in hiding from the recent events. Who was he supposed to ask?

Regulus was now becoming anxious, he had no idea what to do; all he wanted was someone to talk to. More specifically, a person who also knew Tom Riddle well, well enough to perhaps recalled objects that he held dear too. Dumbledore was the first person he thought of. Albus Dumbledore was the transfiguration teacher when Tom was at Hogwarts, so he had to know something; plus he was the only person the Dark Lord feared. However, Dumbledore was probably busy at the moment with the new term at Hogwarts starting and with the fall of the Dark Lord. Also, Regulus wasn't sure how Dumbledore would react when a former Death Eater standing in his office. Dumbledore was known for second chances, but he wasn't sure if that was the case for Death Eaters.

Once Regulus thought for another minute or two, the person couldn't have been more obvious; the same person who was a friend and teacher to Regulus, the person who was always there for him at Hogwarts. Professor Horace Slughorn. Slughorn had taught Tom Riddle while he was at Hogwarts and was close to him, just like how he was with Regulus. He knew that Tom was part of the Slug Club; he remembered the pictures of him on the back of Slughorn's shelves of students. Regulus would go to Professor Slughorn when he was upset or just wanted to have a friendly conversation. However, Professor Slughorn became a little more distant to Regulus once he found out he was a Death Eater. Slughorn might've been close to Tom, but never joined him, for obvious reasons now that Regulus thought about it; Slughorn saw Tom for what he really was. Regulus concluded that Horace Slughorn knew something about Tom most didn't. _Could he possible know about the Horcruxes?_

Knowing that the new term of Hogwarts was starting and it was a couple hours before the Hogwarts Express would arrive in Hogsmeade, there could only be one place where Horace Slughorn could be: The Three Broomsticks. The only problem though was Regulus wasn't sure how he was going to get there. He'd hadn't be able to apparate since the Cave or perform any advanced magic since then. There was the possibly of flying by broomstick, but he wasn't sure where he find one, and preferably didn't want to steal one. The Floo Network was a possibility too, but didn't know where to find a fireplace that was attached to the Network.

Regulus was frustrated about not being able to find a way to Hogsmeade, out of pure spite; he kicked a small stone on the path, but only ended up stubbing his toe and cursed underneath his breath. He knew he had to get to Hogsmeade; it was his only chance to talk to someone who'd understand him. It might even be his only chance for a while now too since term was starting. Regulus continued down the path to where the river met the edge of the forest. He squatted down and cupped his hands to take a drink of water. Then, a reflection caught his eye from the water.

There were a heard of horse-like creatures. They were dark skinned and very bony, even a little scary looking. "Thestrals," Regulus whispered underneath his breath. Thestrals were large, winged creatures that could be used as an alternative for broomsticks. Regulus never saw one before- they were only able to be seen by those who have seen death- but he saw pictures of them before and knew that these creatures had to be Thestrals. He'd seen plenty die at the hands of the Dark Lord, so that's probably why he can see them now. Regulus thought that this was his chance to get to Hogsmeade. Thestrals were considered dangerous by the Ministry of Magic, but Regulus had to try and mount it, he just had to.

Regulus crossed the river to where the Thestrals stood. There was one Thestral that stood by itself, drinking from the river. Regulus walked over slowly to that one, with his hand outstretched, hoping the creature would accept his friendly gesture. However, the Thestral kept drinking, not noticing Regulus at all. He didn't want to get too close, just in case it startled the Thestral. Regulus kept inching forward, until the Thestral looked up and stared right into Regulus's grey eyes. It didn't seem to be too started since it stayed where it was. Regulus continued to inch forward, while the Thestral stared at him. "Easy now," Regulus told the Thestral, trying not to scare it.

Surprisingly, the Thestral was okay with him being so close; the creature allowed Regulus to pat him. After a few moments, Regulus tried to climb up onto the creatures back, but the Thestral abruptly took a few quick steps back, giving a warning noise. Regulus had to hurry if he wanted to get Hogsmeade before the Hogwarts students did, so he decided that he had to confuse the Thestral to let him on its back. He took out his wand and muttered, "_Confundus_." The Thestral stood still again giving Regulus enough time to hop onto his back. Regulus waved his wand at the Thestral's skin to give him a little kick, and the Thestral broke into a run. The creature opened his wings and lifted its hooves off the ground. Regulus and the Thestral flew up into the sky. It was an amazing feeling to be flying high up in the sky, Regulus felt so free and lively. He laughed with joy; it was his first time he laughed in ages.

After flying north about an hour, Regulus and the Thestral arrived at the edge of Hogsmeade village. Before going into the village, Regulus took off his appearance charms- he was sure people here were too busy celebrating to realize he was a former Death Eater- and pulled his cloak over his head. He let the Thestral roam around by the forest and promised him we would bring back some sort of treat. Regulus walked down the little dirt path that lead into the village. He was of course correct, the village was packed with people celebrating and drinking at the Hog's Head and The Three Broomsticks. Children were even celebrating by buying tons of sweets from Honeydukes and playing pranks on their parents with Zonko Products. Regulus smiled to himself, seeing all these families celebrating that the fact the darkest wizard of all time is gone and that they no longer had to fear- until he returned of course.

Regulus reached The Three Broomsticks and pushed open the wooden door to see all sorts of people there. And unsurprisingly, Professor Horace Slughorn was standing at the bar drinking a tall glass of Firewhiskey. Slughorn was talking to Madam Rosmerta about his holiday in France. The Three Broomsticks was unbelievably crowed today, perhaps from everyone celebrating the fall of the Dark Lord. Now, Regulus just had to get Slughorn alone and they could talk in the far corner, where no one was. Luckily for his sake, a fight broke out on the other side of the pub, so Madam Rosmerta had to go sort out the issue, leaving Professor Slughorn.

Slughorn continued to drink at the bar, when Regulus went behind him to tap him on the shoulder. "Yes, yes?" The professor put down his drink and turned to face the person.

"Hello, professor, I don't know if you-," said Regulus in a low voice, but was suddenly cut off by Slughorn's booming voice.

"Merlin's beard! Regulus, my boy!" Slughorn stood up and patted Regulus on the back. "How've you been?"

"I'm fine," which was easily a lie. "I just wanted to-."

"Still playing Quidditch? I'd thought you'd be playing for England now, eh? How come you haven't sent tickets?"

"Er, no, sir I actually don't play anymore," Regulus replied awkwardly, avoiding Slughorn's eye. He'd always told Regulus to play professionally; however, times were different then. Sometimes he did wish he took that path. He was an excellent seeker and did miss playing sometimes.

"Oh, what a shame, you had talent, Regulus, that you did," Slughorn took another swing at his drink. "You know, I could've sworn that the Daily Prophet said you had died."

"Well, professor, that's what I kind of wanted to talk to you about. Mind if we perhaps move to the back?"

Slughorn shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, my boy," He got up and followed Regulus to a table at the way back. Once they got there, Slughorn's face suddenly fell, "Your still…one of _them_ aren't you?" His expression turned from friendly, to disappointed.

"No, professor! I actually defected three years ago. So what you read in the Prophet was probably right. Everyone thought I'd died."

"Okay, good, I'd hate to report you to the Ministry. I heard they have rounded up a dozen Death Eaters already!" Horace exclaimed, once again in a good mood.

"So, the rumors are true then. Voldemort died," Regulus studied the old professor's face, looking for some sort of clue that he knew something.

"Well, that's why everyone is celebrating!" Slughorn gave a loud laugh and took another drink of his Firewhiskey.

Regulus just stared at him, trying to figure out how he was going to get his information. "You knew Voldemort, didn't you?" Regulus hated saying his name; he'd preferred 'Dark Lord' much more. "You taught him potions, right? I remember seeing a photo of him on your shelf."

Slughorn looked like he'd be petrified; he didn't know what to say, he just stared at the table. "Y-yes I did," Slughorn said lamely. "I assure you, he was quite a different person then."

"Do you think he will return one day?"

Slughorn still didn't look into Regulus's eyes, "Nonsense!"

"Actually, professor, I'm afraid he will," Regulus took a deep breath, "He has Horcruxes."

Slughorn dropped his glass and it shattered once it hit the floor. He then lifted his head a little to look at his former student. "How did you find out?" His voice has barely a whisperer.

"So you did know!" Regulus felt quite smug, finding out that he was right; Horace Slughorn did indeed know something. Slughorn didn't say anything back. "Well, professor, let me start from the beginning." Regulus told him about over hearing the Dark Lord's conversation with fellow Death Eaters, how he was beginning to dislike him and his beliefs, how he took Kretcher to that cave, and how he himself went to the cave and retrieved the locket. "How do you know about the Horcruxes?" he added.

An old, tired, miserable face fell upon the professor and he let out a deep sigh. "Tom came to me one evening, after one of my dinner parties, and asked about them. He asked me if they were real and how they were made. I thought it was only for academic purposes of course, but… well, I was wrong." Slughorn was speaking in a very nervous, monotone voice. It must be hard for him to divulge his information he had on Riddle.

"It's alright professors; I just need information on Tom Riddle to help me find other Horcruxes." Slughorn nodded. "Are there any objects that Tom held a liking to?"

Slughorn sighed, thinking for a minute. Regulus wasn't sure if he would respond or not. "After that conversation we had in my office, he seemed to carry a journal-perhaps it was a dairy- around a lot. This of course was all happening when the Chamber of Secrets was supposedly open." Regulus was about to say something, but Slughorn continued. "There was a ring he always wore too. Tom _always_ had it on."

_A journal and a ring_, Regulus thought this was going fairly well, he didn't expect Slughorn to know-or think- of any possible objects. "Were there any places he was attached to?"

"He loved Hogwarts, he'd always complain about the summer holidays. You see, he lived in an orphanage, he much preferred living at Hogwarts." Regulus didn't think any Horcruxes could be at Hogwarts. Dumbledore would probably find out if a dark object like a Horcrux was in the castle.

"Any other places?"

Slughorn shock his head, "not that I know of."

Regulus wasn't sure what he wanted to say next. He found out two things, there were a _journal-or a dairy- and a ring._ Regulus found out more than what he was expecting, he didn't know if he'd find out anything. "Thank you, professor. Your information has been very helpful." Regulus stood up from his seat. "I'll leave you to your drink."

Slughorn got up too, "Your very welcome, Regulus. However, I must get going too, the students shall be arriving soon. Here, I'll walk you out." Before Regulus went out, he cast his disguise charms back on. Both Regulus and Slughorn walked silently out the door, into the cool September evening. They strolled up the road, to the end of the village. Slughorn broke the silence this time. "I'm sorry about your father, Orion. I knew him at whilst at Hogwarts."

Regulus turned surprisingly at Slughorn, "My father?"

"You didn't know? He died shortly after your 'death.'"

Perhaps Regulus did find that out, but forgot since his memory was especially foggy then. His heart sank. Regulus felt bad, he never had a chance to say goodbye. The last time he said anything to him was the night before he left, if you don't count the note he'd left. "How'd he die?" 

"I believe it was overdose on alcohol, something like that." Slughorn again looked sad for a moment or two, but quickly shock it off. "So, where will you be heading?"

Regulus shrugged, "I've heard there was a cave up on the mountain side."

There was now a look of disbelief on Slughorn's face. "Caves? That's where you've been living?"

"No, not all the time. Ever since the Horcrux cave, I haven't been too keen about caves." Regulus chuckled a little to himself.

Slughorn thought for a moment, "Well, if your there, I might as well send you some supplies, yes?"

"No, that's alright, professor. I can scrap things up for myself."

Slughorn ignored him, "I can send you some food, Essence of Dittany… anything else? Oh, I know. You said you were having difficulties of performing more advance magic, no? I just might have a potion that could make you stronger with your magic."

"Please, professor, you don't have to do any of that." Regulus might be a little home sick and lonely, but he didn't want anyone to dote over him.

"Nonsense, it won't be a problem. I'll send the owl tomorrow." Regulus gave up, when Horace Slughorn had his mind made, that's what it would be.

"Thanks a lot then, professor. Not just for the supplies, but for information on Tom Riddle." Slughorn flinched a little, but smiled at Regulus.

"Anything for my favorite student," he gave a warming smile, the ones Regulus remembered from their talks at Hogwarts. Soon, both of them parted ways once again. Slughorn had to head back up to the Hogwarts for the Sorting and welcoming feast. Regulus went in the opposite direction that leads towards the cave up on the mountain side.

As he walked, he thought a lot about the Horcruxes. His two best leads were some sort of journal and the other was a ring. But where would he possibly start. One thing was for sure, he was going to need help on his quest. Regulus decided it was best not to think about it for now. He had to look for that rumored cave.

Once he reached the outside of town, he spotted an owl with the Evening Prophet. He waved the owl over, and it landed on his arm. Regulus digged for five Knuts in his pocket and he placed it into the owl's pouch. He made a mental note to send an owl to retrieve more gold from the Black vault.

Regulus unfolded the paper, and the front line blinked in front of him: _Sirius Black, Mass Murderer._ He froze in his footsteps and nearly dropped the paper. This had to be a joke, it had to be. Sirius Black, Gryffindor, member of The Order of the Phoenix, a murderer? There was picture of Sirius on the front, screaming, trying to break loose of the two Hit-Wizards grip on him. He looked absolutely mad. Regulus continued down to the article:

_Last evening, shortly after the death of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Death Eater Sirius Black was found at the scene of the crime where the whole a Muggle street was blown up. Twelve Muggles were killed and one wizard, Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was a friend of Black's and the Potter's, it has been confirmed Black was indeed the Secret Keeper of the Potters while in hiding and had let He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named know the location of the Potters. Pettigrew went after Black to revenge the Potters but failed. When Black blow up the Muggle street, all that was left of Pettigrew was his finger. Just after, Hit-Wizards appeared on the scene to find Black laughing madly on his knees. Black had been taking straight to Azkaban. The Head of the Auror Office refuses to comment on the case at this point. More information on the current event will follow in the morning addition to the Daily Prophet._

No way in hell was Sirius a murderer-or even a Death Eater. Regulus would call Sirius the exact opposite. Regulus knew how close he'd been with his friends, James and Lily Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. There was more to this story than the Daily Prophet says. Perhaps the Aurors in the Order could help sort this out. Or maybe Lupin could convince them that Sirius was innocent.

Regulus thought that it was weird that all they could only find Pettigrew's finger. What spell could possibly explode an entire person into oblivion? None that Sirius would know, he was never one to read books on dark magic.

One thing was for sure; Regulus's quest for hunting Horcruxes had to be put on hold. He had to get Sirius free. Sirius was the only one that could help him, or would want to help him. Breaking into Azkaban to free his brother was now his number one priority.

**A/N: Sorry, this chapter took longer for me to write then I anticipated. I'm not overly happy how this chapter turned out; hopefully everyone will think it's alright. Thanks to everyone who favorite/followed/reviewed! :)**


	3. Prison Break

Chapter 3

Prison Break

After a long night of sleeping on the cold, hard ground and nightmares, Regulus woke up early the next morning. The sun shone through the cave, warming his skin from the cool night. Regulus flipped himself over and supported himself with his elbows as he shuffled through his rucksack, looking for something to eat. Nothing. He noticed the Thestral enjoying some mice he scuffed up in the cave. Regulus only ate mice when he was desperate; he figured he could wait a little longer.

Regulus soon got up and walked over to his Thestral. He stroked its back as it ate its mice. Regulus gave a little chuckle. "How you doing, buddy?" The Thestral looked up at Regulus for a moment and then went back to eating. "You know what? I think you need a name." Regulus tried to think of the perfect name for his new friend. He decided it should be after a star or constellation, just like everyone in his family was, including the family owl, Aquila. His father popped into his head again, Orion Black. Regulus never looked up to his father much, considering he wasn't home a lot and when he was he was drunk. However, Regulus still loved him, he was his father.

"How about Orion?" Regulus asked the Thestral sincerely. Orion made a sound of agreement. Regulus laughed, "Good." Orion continued gnawing on the bones of his mice, while Regulus went over to sit on one of the rocks in the cave. He could hear Sirius's voice in his head, "You named that bloody creature, Orion after our poor excuse of a father?" Regulus smiled to himself. Sirius would never love their father, which Regulus didn't blame him. Orion Black would beat Sirius with an old cane or use curses on him. There was even one time he used to Cruciatus Curse on him. Sirius came home from Hogwarts after his second year and strutted around the house mentioning things like Gryffindor, werewolves, and Muggleborns. Personally, Regulus thought their father overreacted, but he must've been in a foul mood and drunk. His father using the torture curse on his older brother gave the ten year old Regulus nightmares for a week.

An old grey owl flew into Regulus's cave and perched itself on one of the rocks. The owl had a letter in its beak and a black pouch tied to its leg. Regulus walked over to the owl and took the letter and the pouch. He suspected that the pouch had a feather-weight charm on it, since it was barley heavier than a piece of parchment. Regulus gave the owl a little pet on his beak in thanks and read the letter.

_Regulus,_

_I got as much food I could without raising suspicions. Hope you find everything useful. That purple potion will revive some of your magic ability. I've also included some Felix Felicis, only because your one of my absolute favorite students and I hope that your mission succeeds so we all can live in a better world. Keep in touch and send word if you need anything else. Don't try to get into too much trouble._

_ Yours Truly,_

_ Professor H. Slughorn_

Regulus opened the parcel furiously, like he was a child on Christmas morning. The parcel was obviously put under an Undetectable Extension Charm; it had quite a few things in it for being small. There were bread and chicken legs, and even some Pumpkin Pasties. Slughorn must've remembered those were his favorite. Then just as promised, there were three vials. There was a golden one labeled "Felix Felicis". Regulus was very grateful and surprised that he sent him that, it was a terribly tricky potion to make. However, he never knew when he just might need a little luck. The next one was labeled "Dittany", which was another useful potion to heal wounds. The last one was indeed purple and was only labeled, "pick me up". It made Regulus a little nervous to not know the name of the potion, but he knew Slughorn wouldn't poison him. He was just suspicious of unidentified potions ever since the incident in the Horcrux Cave where he had to drink that terrible potion.

Slightly nervous, he popped off the top of the "pick me up" and brought it up, underneath his nose. He didn't smell any poison, just a slight scent of peppermint. "Cheers," Regulus mumbled to himself and poured the purple liquid down his throat. The taste wasn't all too pleasing; it didn't taste like peppermint at all. To get rid of the after taste, he woofed down a piece of bread Slughorn had also sent. Regulus smacked his lips together a couple times and already started to feel more energetic. Then he continued on the rest of his bread and chicken. He forgot how much he missed Hogwarts food.

After finish the chicken, he threw the bones to Orion, who finished the last bit of scraps on therm. Regulus then started back to Hogsmeade Village with his blonde hair and blue eye charms on. The village was still packed with visitors, probably those too drunk to apparate home from celebrating all night. Regulus's first stop was the Hogsmeade Post Office. He still remembered walking inside for the first time, being amazed with all the different types of owls. They were all sorted by color, depending how fast you wanted a letter sent. The large barn owls were the fastest while the tiny screech owls were slowest, just used for local deliveries.

Regulus grabbed his note from his pocket that he wrote earlier to Gringotts, requesting twenty galleons from Vault seven-hundred eleven, The Black family vault. He signed his note as it were his mother, Walburga Black, so that the goblins wouldn't be leery since he was supposed to be dead. Regulus picked the moderate to fast owl, the second fastest they had. The employee told him the owl will return to him by tomorrow afternoon, depending on how fast the goblins were to remove the money.

Now only three galleons sat at the bottom of Regulus's rucksack. His next stop was Honeydukes, the sweet shop. He ended up spending two whole galleons on different chocolates. Regulus figured he'd better stocked up on chocolate since he was going to break into Azkaban with the place swarming with Dementors. Not to mention Sirius would want a lot, even if he was there for a little over a day. Lastly, he stopped at a little produce stand just outside the Hog's Head and bought some chicken, rolls, and produce that was exactly one galleon. Now that Regulus was officially broke, he traveled back up the mountain side and into his cave.

Orion greeted him happily, smelling the chicken he had bought. "You'll have to wait; we have to eat our food sparingly." The Thestral didn't listen; he kept nudging Regulus's back, hoping he would receive something. Regulus sat down on one of the rocks, and scratched his head. He had to find out how he was going to break Sirius out of Azkaban.

No one had ever broken out-or in- of Azkaban before. Partly due to the fact Dementors guarded the island. Dementors were the foulest creatures on Earth; they literally sucked all the happiness out of someone. Regulus could only hope that the ministry didn't order the Dementors to perform their Kiss on him. The Dementor's Kiss was when a Dementor sucked the soul out of a person, they would still be alive, but without a soul, which to Regulus was worse than death. 

First thing that Regulus thought of was Apparition. Apparation wouldn't work because of the charms protecting the island and Regulus wasn't sure still if he could do it. There were always portkeys too, but then again the charms could block them too, for at least getting out anyways. His best hope was to ride Orion. He'd just had to hope a Dementor didn't knock him off first.

No one knew exactly where Azkaban was; just that it was out in the middle of the sea. Regulus figured he should start his journey at sun down, he didn't know how long it would take him to get there. The sooner the better too, he didn't want Sirius to get his soul taken. 

Regulus spent the rest of the day practicing his magic, the 'pick me up' potion helped wondrously. Over the years, he wrote down spells every time he thought of one, he didn't want risk to forget them again. Regulus went down the list practicing '_Incendio_', '_Reducto_,' and '_Aguamenti_'. He spent a particularly long time practicing the Patronus Charm. Regulus wasn't able to do that spell for the longest time, he had to make sure he knew how to now since he'd be going to Azkaban.

Regulus's Patronus was a large cat that he thought resembled a mountain lion. Which to him made sense; he was named after the star Regulus which was part of Leo, the lion constellation. He tried many times, but all he got a silvery smoke from his wand. He perhaps needed a happier memory. Hogwarts memories failed, as did memories of his family-then again when was his family ever happy? Playing Quidditch didn't do anything or even thinking of the fall of the Dark Lord. 

He buried his face into his hands and gave out a big sigh. "There has to be something," Regulus told himself, thinking desperately. A memory of Sirius and himself would surely work; the problem though is that he couldn't remember any that were particularly happy. Sirius had run away when Regulus was fourteen and he couldn't remember much before that. There was of course the time when Sirius had come home from his first year at Hogwarts and told Regulus all about it.

"_Reg, come on to my room, I've got to show you something!" Sirius pulled Regulus by the wrist and ran up the stairs of their home in London. Regulus happily followed with a he was glad to have his older back home. He'd be quite lonely with only Kretcher around._

_Before the two brothers could even make it up the fifth step, their mother bellowed, "Not so fast boys! We're having dinner now." Sirius and Regulus stopped it their tracks and Sirius let out a sigh._

"_Sirius?" Regulus asked in a small voice, "Please don't try to upset mother. It's your first night back and she won't be happy as it is and-,"_

"_Don't worry Reg. I'll behave," he paused, and darkly added, "as long as she does." Sirius turned down the stairs and Regulus followed. Both entered the dining room to find their father, Orion Black, reading the Evening Prophet._

"_Hello, father," Regulus greeted him politely. His father only nodded to him and gave him a weak smile totally ignoring the fact Sirius was there. Both of the boys took their seats and their mother followed to her spot at the opposite end of their father. The house elf, Kretcher, came in levitating three silver platters. One with pork loin, one with potatoes, and the last had a mixture of vegetables. The whole family took their first helpings and ate in silence._

_Sirius made an 'ug' sound when he tasted the potatoes, "I've got to say, Hogwarts's food is much better than this." His mother gave him a warning look, so did his father, and Regulus's expression turned worried. He prayed he wouldn't do something stupid; he'd only been home for fifteen minutes. Silence fell upon the family again, until Sirius broke it, "Hogwarts was great, thanks for asking." Everyone turned to look at him. "I met these brilliant blokes who were in Gryffindor with me."_

_When Sirius said, 'Gryffindor', his father broke this glass of Firewhiskey he was drinking and his mother flinched. Regulus slapped his hand to his forehead. "You will not say that cursed name in this house again. Do you understand me?" Orion Black growled at his eldest son._

_Sirius just rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I'll try." Regulus looked between his father and Sirius and occasionally at his mother. "Anyways, James Potter and I-,"_

"_The Potters?" said Walburga Black who gave a humorless laugh, "The blood traitors."_

_His mother's comment pushed Sirius over the edge. "So what?" Sirius pushed his plate to the middle of the table and stood up, "His family happily greeted me when I got off the train. All had I was father drinking his tenth drink for the day, not bother saying a simple, 'hello'. I'd rather have so called blood-traitors as a family then a bunch of pureblood freaks!" Regulus could tell that Sirius must've been jealous of his friend's family._

"_Go to your room!" His father bellowed in his what Regulus called his 'scary voice'._

"_With pleasure," Sirius smiled. He marched right past Regulus and up the stairs. Regulus shook his head and continued eating his pork. Him, his mother, and father, ate in silence. Sirius stayed in his room for the rest of the night and his mother told him Regulus couldn't talk to him. Regulus really wanted to smack his brother for upsetting his mother and father only twenty minutes into his holiday. _

_Later that night, Regulus waited until his clock read one o'clock and crept out of his room. He knocked on his older brother's door. "Sirius," he whispered, "it's me."_

_Sirius opened the door, "Come on in before you wake everyone in London." Regulus slipped in and sat himself on the end of Sirius's bed. "What's up little brother?" Sirius ruffled Regulus's hair. Regulus battered his hand off._

"_I just wanted to talk to you. It's been unbelievingly boring." _

_Sirius laughed, "I bet it has been." Sirius walked over to a small pile of pictures and Gryffindor banners. He picked the photo up with four boys on it and walked over to the wall right above the headboard of his bed. Sirius muttered a few words and then the photograph stuck to the wall._

_Regulus's mouth feel open when he saw his brother perform magic. "How'd you do that? I thought underage wizards couldn't do magic outside of school?"_

_Sirius smiled, "Well when you hang out with Remus," he pointed to the tall boy with light brown hair and scars on his face, "you tend to read books." Sirius now laughed to himself. "When you read books, you pick things up. Like, since this house is so heavily guarded by the spells mum and dad put on the place, the Trace isn't able to pick up simple spells." _

_Regulus nodded his head. "So are these are your friends?" He was still looking at the photograph Sirius stuck to the wall._

"_Yup," Sirius said very smug. "That's what I wanted to show you earlier. There's me obviously," The Sirius in the photo waved and had a huge smile stretched across his face. "Remus is on my left. And the boy on the right is James Potter." James had jet black hair, just like Sirius and himself did, but messy. He wore round glasses over his hazel eyes. "Then that's Peter," Sirius added, referring to the plump, blonde boy at the end. All the boys had their arms around each other, ruffling each other's hair and smiling madly. They seemed to be in front of the Black Lake on the grounds of Hogwarts._

"_What did you do at Hogwarts?" Regulus asked eagerly. Sirius never wrote to him, he assumed he'd been busy studying or was with his friends. "Besides studying," he quickly added._

"_Well, there was so much!" Sirius continued to hang up Gryffindor decorations as he spoke. "There was this one Slytherin git with really greasy hair. He was fun to pick on." Sirius let out a big sigh, "That's one of the things I already miss."_

_Regulus's smile turned into a frown. "I hope you weren't too awful to him." Knowing Sirius, he probably was._

_Sirius shook his head, "Nah." Regulus knew he was probably lying. "We mainly just threw shampoo onto his head or sprayed him with water." Sirius finished hanging his decorations and pulled up a chair and leaned back in it as Regulus sat crossed legged on his bed. Sirius spent the rest of the night telling Regulus stories of his first year at Hogwarts. He told him how he and James convinced a poltergeist named Peeves to throw water balloons at their older cousin Bellatrix and how they all snuck into the Forbidden Forest to search for a rumored colony of Acromantulas, which they didn't find a single one. They both weren't sure how long they stayed up that night, but Sirius ended up falling asleep in his desk chair and Regulus fell asleep on his brother's bed with a smile on his face._

Regulus smiled to himself. That was the first time his ten year old self had been happy in a long time. He focused long and hard about being a child again and being reunited with his brother after a long ten months- Sirius never came back home during Christmas or Easter Breaks. When the picture was clear as day he tried again casting his Patronus. "_Expecto Patronum!_" A silver mountain lion appeared out of his wand and ran about the cave, giving a loud cat roar. Regulus laughed madly and jumped a foot in the air with happiness. He watched as his mountain lion pounced around the cave and gave a few roars. Regulus soon let the memory and fade, but still had a smile from ear to ear.

After re-mastering a few more spells, he dug out the food he'd bought earlier that day. He threw the slab of raw chicken to Orion, who ate it most happily. Regulus ate a roll and one of the apples he purchased. "Ready for a long journey?" he asked Orion as he was finishing his chicken.

Regulus grabbed his satchel and dumped everything out; except for all the chocolate he bought earlier that day and a large flask of fresh water. Lastly, he pocketed his wand inside his robes and walked over to the edge of the cave and Orion followed him closely. The sunset was beautiful, the pink and oranges danced together over the horizon. A few clouds remained in the sky, which was lucky for Regulus. The clouds provided cover to hide from any Muggles looking up. Regulus then swung one leg over Orion and sat on top of his back as he took one last long moment staring at the beautiful sunset, hoping it wasn't the last time he'd be seeing it. He kicked Orion's side and Thestral opened his long leathery wings and flapped them a couple times. Orion leapt into the air and climbed high into the darkening sky with Regulus's arms wrapped around his neck, heading north.

Regulus Black landed on the small rocky island at about eleven o'clock. It was pitch dark out, only little flickers of candles lit the prison. Regulus could feel the presence of the Dementors. The air felt a lot cooler and ice was on the ground; he could even feel the difference in his in mood because of the Dementors. Regulus hoped off his Thestral right on the edge of the island. "Hang around here, buddy. If you see any distress, come and help, okay?" Regulus pat the top of his head and walked towards the prison.

Azkaban towered high above him and Dementors flew above the very top cells. Regulus supposed that's where the high security prisoners where kept, and that's where Sirius was being held. He walked into the tower and into a small room. The room was a in the shape of a square with the walls covered in stone, making the room feel even cooler. Candles flickered, providing only little light. Regulus walked up to the front desk where a single wizard was working. Wizards and witches did work in Azkaban, mainly just delivering meals to prisoners and letting in visitors.

Before even Regulus had a chance to speak, the guard spoke. "No visitors allowed after nine o'clock," he didn't even look up at him; he continued scribbling notes down on prisoner records.

"That's alright," Regulus pulled out his wand; he knew he was going to regret this, "_Imperio_." Regulus was ashamed to admit that he had used two out of the three unforgivable curses. He had to when he first became a Death Eater, the Dark Lord told him to use the Cruciatus Curse on a disloyal Death Eater and the Dark Lord ended up actually killing him.

The guard then stepped aside from what he was doing and Regulus told him in his mind to sit down in the chair besides the desk. Regulus walked over to the other side of the desk and went through files, looking for information of Sirius whereabouts. He shuffled frantically through the most recent files. He recognized Bellatrix's file and her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, Barty Crouch Jr., and Antonin Dolohov, all Death Eaters; then finally he found Sirius's. Sirius was being held at the very top of the prison tower, in the high security levels. He was being kept in cell eight hundred thirteen.

Regulus quickly ran over to the elevator as the wizard guard continued to sit down and mumble to himself. The lift shot up to the high security levels and opened up to a long cold hallway. Regulus could feel Dementors nearby, patrolling the cells. He thought hard of him and Sirius as young children, "_Expecto Patronum_," then waved his wand and the mountain lion came out and trotted besides him. The Dementors immediately turned the other way to the other cells. Regulus continued down the hall way with his Patronus at his side, "Eight hundred eleven…Eight hundred twelve…Eight hundred thirteen…" He turned to the next cell, eight hundred fourteen, expecting to see his brother, "Sirius!"

However, Sirius wasn't there. Regulus's smile turned to a frown, then an expression of confusion. In the far left corner, a black shaggy dog was curled up sleeping. "Sirius?" He called again and looked around at the surrounding cells. No Sirius anywhere. _ Why was a dog in the cell? _ The black dog sat up and barked, making Regulus jump back.

All of a sudden, the dog trotted over to the bars of the cell to where Regulus stood and transformed into a man; a man with the same black curly, shaggy hair. He had the same grey eyes and slim face as Regulus. It was Sirius. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"How come you were a dog ten seconds ago?" Regulus gapped at his brother, he had no idea that he was an Animagus.

"It's called an _Animagus_. Just something I picked up." Regulus saw that his brother didn't lose his personality while in Azkaban, however, Sirius looked dreadful. He had circles under his eyes and his face looked ten years older. Sirius paused for a moment and frowned. "I must finally be going mad. I'm talking with my dead brother who appears to be standing on the other side of my cell." He gave a mad laugh.

"You're not going mad; I'm getting you out of here!" Regulus pulled his wand out again, "Stand back," he warned. Sirius reluctantly took a few steps back, looking somewhat annoyed. "_Bombarda Maxima!_" The cell bars blew up right in front of Regulus; he shielded his face with his arms. "Come on! Before guards come!" Sirius just stood there gapping at him.

"I must be dreaming," Sirius, took a shakily step forward, unsure if this was his chance to escape.

"Come on already!" Regulus was becoming impatient and grabbed Sirius by the wrist. He had to drag his brother though, his legs weren't moving. An unhappy feeling fell upon them again, more Dementors were coming. Noticing that his Patronus had left him, Regulus picked up the pace, hoping Sirius would start helping him, "For Merlin's sake, move your legs, Sirius!"

Sirius still wasn't listing to him; he was just looking awestruck with a dreamy face staring up into space. A Dementor flew over both brothers and began to suck happiness out of them. Sirius and Regulus both gave a yell. _Sirius and I are together again_. "_Expecto Patronum!_" Regulus's Patronus didn't appear. _We will destroy the Dark Lord. _ "_Expecto Patronum!_" Still nothing. Dementors continued to come over to them. Regulus was pretty sure Sirius might've passed out. _I want to do something good for the world. _"_Expecto Patronum!_" Finally, his cougar came from the tip of wand and roared deeply, driving off the six Dementors surrounding them. The lion stayed with Regulus for a while longer, while he caught his breath.

Regulus lifted Sirius up to his feet; he was somewhat awake, but weak. The Dementors really must've gotten him that time. His face became worrisome. "I need my w-wand," he mumbled.

"Okay, okay. Where will it be?" Regulus was starting to panic; the Dementors would surely be back and in larger numbers. Perhaps even with wizards this time. Sirius shrugged. Both of them got into the elevator and went to the lower floor.

The guard seemed to wake up from Regulus's imperious curse. "Hey you! I told you, no visitors-," he suddenly lost his words though when he saw Sirius standing beside him. "Sirius Black!"

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Regulus hit him square in the chest and the guard froze up and fell back onto the floor. Sirius sat down in a plastic chair on the opposite side of the front desk. Regulus ran behind the desk and shuffled through the papers and files on the desk. He rummaged through drawers and cabinets until he saw one labeled 'wands'. "_Alohomora_," he whispered. The cabinet clicked open; he was somewhat surprised that that had worked. He would've thought Azkaban's files would be guarded with more complex charms.

Several wands filled the drawer, but noticed Sirius's right away. Regulus grabbed it and threw it to Sirius, "Here!" Sirius caught it with one hand and stood in a ready position with it, as though more guards or Dementors were coming.

"Better wipe his memory," said Sirius as he jerked his head to the body-binded guard on the floor.

"Right," Regulus walked over to the man. The human guard stared right into him, not being able to move a single muscle. "_Obliviate."_ Regulus modified his memory so that he remembered nothing of seeing Regulus or Sirius. He was never good with memory charms, so he hoped he didn't modify it too much or too little. The guard still lied motionless; he looked as though he were dead. There was a pause for a minute. "Better get going," Regulus told Sirius.

Sirius said nothing, but followed Regulus out of the prison, to the dark night. He trudged behind Regulus, he seemed to be very tired and lifeless, not his normal self. Regulus put an arm around him to help him walk out. Dementors were coming from high above them; they swerved to the ground to attack. Regulus quickly casted his Patronus again to protect them.

Both brothers picked up the pace, hurrying to the edge of the island where the ocean waves slammed against the rocks. Orion ran towards them, noticing Regulus running from the Dementors. Regulus thought even Orion looked affected from the dark creatures. "A Thestral?" Sirius asked confused that this creature was their escape route.

"Yeah, now hurry up!" Sirius climbed on top of Orion and Regulus followed. Dementors were getting closer, but Orion was able to break into a run. The Thestral ran towards the water and opened his wings as he leapt into the air. They flew high out of the Dementors reach and flew on southward. The Dementors eventually turned around; Regulus assumed that the Ministry only allowed them to fly so far from the island.

Once they were above the clouds, Regulus dug out two chocolate frogs, "Eat this," he handed one to Sirius as he started to unwrap his own. Sirius ate his silently and either fell asleep or passed out, Regulus wasn't sure which one. Regulus continued to steer Orion back to their cave outside of Hogsmeade. He couldn't stop himself form smiling, _we're reunited, fighting for the same side._

**A/N: I apologize for not updating for a while. I've just been VERY busy with school work and sports. My season should be over soon, so updates will begin to become more regular. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorite my story! When I see the emails they make me smile:) **


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